Fires on the Road
by LeCastor
Summary: 12 drabbles in which Stannis rises or falls, it's up to you to decide. Based on a fanmix. Feat. Stannis, Melisandre and Davos.  Teaser: He prepared himself, but then the door opened and the Red Woman slipped in before him.


Bloody Cleaver "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," _Kill Bill Vol. 1_, Santa Esmeralda

The smuggler had said nothing when Stannis had given his verdict. The lord of Dragonstone had said nothing either – it was at it should be. Davos Seaworth's hand lay outstretched on the block – the smallest finger quivered a little.

The cleaver went up. The cleaver went down. A scream echoed in the yard – loud, desperate, a severance palpable to even the dimmest of minds. Lord Stannis still held the bloody cleaver in his hand. He had not faltered and seemed as though he were made of stone. An assistant came and retreived the butcher's tool in silence as the maester tended to the smuggler's room.

Rise a Knight "Crash and Burn,"_Affirmation_, Savage Garden

Davos's hand was searing in pain – there were no words to describe the sensation of losing one's fingertips. They were some of the most sensitive extremities of the human body, he had mused when he head the judgement.

Still, it was fair. It was it should be, and he had submitted to Lord Stannis' punishment without regret. It was fair. The word blade was touching his shoulder, but he could barely feel it, just as he could barely hear the words.

"Rise a knight," said Stannis Baratheon, and he did through sheer strength of will. From then on, he knew he would never be loyal to any other than the fairest judge in Westeros.

Dark Wings, Dark Words "Blue," _Color Moving And Still_, Chantal Kreviazuk

The letter lay on Stannis' lap – he was barely awake, dozing in the cold halls of Dragonstone. The large table behind him felt as though it were a continent in its own.

Jon Arryn's words had been succinct but clear – there was no doubt to be had, and the horror of it was crashing on it, just as the implications both uplifted him and weighed on him.

Of course, the boy could not be Robert's, anymore than his sister and brother. Which meant only that it would be between Edric Storm and Stannis Baratheon. Law was on his side, of course, but would he tear the Seven Kingdoms with the news? It was barely a question.

Stannis had to do what was just.

Solitary "Me Against The World," _Still Not Getting Any_, Simple Plan

The whole of the realm denies it, brother. Old men deny it with their death rattle, and unborn children deny it in their mothers' wombs. They deny it in Dorne and they deny it on the Wall. No-one wants you to be king. Sorry.

The words were ringing still in Stannis' ears as he departed. So there will be no compromise, he thought to himself sourly. There would be no union of him and Renly to set the Kingdoms to rights. There would be no recognition of his rights.

So be it, he thought sadly to himself. So be it, for Justice must prevail, and I am chosen. This is who I am, and I would dishonor all that I am if I acted otherwise.

So be it, he repeated to hismelf. He would have to prevail, alone if he must – it was no great change from what he had known all his life, after all.

Live Cinders "Brûle brûle," _Chloé Sainte-Marie_, Chloé Sainte-Marie

The flames burned gently in the yard, after the Seven had fed them. As though they were relieved and stated, they were subsiding to small tongues that licked at the remains of the once great idols.

Empty idols, Stannis told himself – only the Lord of Light is true, he had to repeat. "The night is dark and full of terrors," he murmured, almost a prayer.

By the fire, the Red Woman stood – wind touched her red skirts kindly, her hair was galore and looked alive in this light. It was a moment of odd peace, and he found her beautiful, then.

Antichamber "The Future," _More Best of Leonard Cohen_, Leonard Cohen

Davos didn't like her. He didn't like that she was present at every feast, nor did he like that she was snaking around the heart of Lord Stannis with uncanny ease.

He looked at her as she walked through the humid halls. "I am expected," she told Davos quite civilly. "Of course you are, my lady," he replied as politely as he could.

Having private audience with King Stannis Baratheon was becoming more and more difficult – yet another thing he did not like, nor had he liked that the Seven had been burned. He prepared himself, but then the door opened and the Red Woman slipped in before him.

"Come again, Ser," he was told, and walked away reluctantly, his mind full of disastrous visions.

Temptation "You Give Love A Bad Name," _Cross Roads_, Bon Jovi

She undulated in his direction and it was mesmerizing to watch. Her skirts seemed to obey the Red Woman's will, and when she stepped up in front of Stannis, her eyes a bit wild, her lips ripe, he had to look to the side.

She did not speak, but her hand reached for his manhood through his breeches. A moment passed, and he reached to pull her daring touch away, taking her hand in his wrist.

"This is for Lady Selise," he managed to croak, despite the fact that he'd not touched her in many a moon.

"So it is," Melisande murmured, seemingly unperturbed, "And see what children she gave you. I will give you shadows who will give your claims flesh."

He pulled away. "You speak of unjust things," he said, and hated himself for putting distance between them, but this time, succeeded enough to wander away.

Waking Slumber "Why Don't You Do Right," _Who Framed Roger Rabbit_, Jessica Rabbit

Three weeks, and they had been away from Dragonstone. The hosts were amassing on either side – there would be blood on the morrow.

Stannis slept uneasily – in his couch, he twisted and turned, dreaming of his own sword plunging through his brother's chest. It was not meant to happen this way, he groaned to himself in his slumber.

She slipped in the tent unheeded. Her cloak hid her nudity, and when she lay by him, slipping in his arms, he did not object – but he might not have been awake enough to realize that the dream of soft skin and warm kisses was waking.

Silent walks "Fix You," _X&Y_, Coldplay

Davos looked at the king, and knew this moment was not one to cherish. One less contender, true. But how unrighteous Renly's death had been. How dishonourable, for a young king whose name had roused half of the seven kingdoms. It smelled of the Red Woman.

"My lord," he said, quietly, faithful as always.

"Ser," Stannis replied quietly. "Walk with me."

Together, they walked, but Stannis said nothing, that day. All the same, Davos was there – there was nothing he could do but offer companionship, but the king was entrenched in his solitude, and reaching out felt hopeless.

Shades of Green "III. Sequentia - Lacrimosa," _Mozart Requiem_, Leipsizer Kammerorchester

Stannis looked his fleet. Burning. The Maria, burning. Flames in all shades of green were spreading, from one to the other, and he counted in his mind the names of those who were perishing bravely for his cause.

He looked at the standard high up and wondered if this immolation of his best men would please the Lord of Light. In passing, he had a thought for Davos Seaworth's ship – she went down like the rest.

A good knight was lost, true. Would he ever one as faithful? Like as not. Falling in the line of duty was an honourable death, though, the King mused.

Wild Things "Another brick in the wall," _The Wall_, Pink Floyd

Bandits, all of them, but for Janos Slynt the slithering viper, the blubbering knight and the Stark bastard. Stannis looked at them all – the men of the Night's Watch, and inwardly thought that his Hand had spoken well.

They needed direction – madness galore, broken men and broken deeds, and quarrelling, on and on, day and night in the hall where no leader was chosen. It mattered little, Stannis thought – the King was here. He would set them to rights and set the wildlings running.

Westeros was to be defended at all costs. Melisande of Asshai's warm hand rested on his shoulder. "My Lord?"

"It's nothing," he murmured. "Only a passing thought." But the thought was more than passing – he kept it alive and well in his mind.

Order to Chaos "I'm Still Standing," _Greatest Hits - Elton John: 1970-2002_, Elton John

He had been given a new fortress – it was small, but warmer than DragonStone. The Targaryen girl's dragons had driven the country in further madness, but the King beyond the Wall cared little. The King beyond the Wall, Stannis of the Wildlings, was the true King – they would know, soon enough.

The mammoths were now cleanly lined up. Women were washing their hair, giants were organizing their clans. The Red Woman had plenty of folk to give to the flames. It was never something he liked, but it kept his people in line.

And from the darker recesses beyond the Wall, Stannis Baratheon thought and wondered.

Where has my good knight gone?


End file.
